Laid off people turned Ex-Pats Living on the CHEAP?

I think this is the kinda question that's gotten folks into trouble with this concept.


the thing to do would be to head to where-ever you're thinking of going, and stay for a month or so (minimal), and see if a.) you like the place, b.) if you like the locals, and c.) after doing an extensive search...that you DO indeed, find yourself a job.
Once you DO find this job, will the people and the place where this job is work out for ya? (how often have we all gotten a new job, only to have it suck and end up quitting after only a month or so, because the people you are working for or with turn out to be fuknuts??!!!) and that's here in your own city, town, state, country, etc. Imagine how bad that would be if it happened in a DIFFERENT COUNTRY??? Then you'd really be screwed.

I honestly think that this is what alot of the nay-sayers of this thread are getting at.

DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE MAKING THE PLUNGE!!


....I do really like this thread though.

Well, there's a simple fix: book a plane ticket home for 6 months after you arrive. You can deal with any kind of fucknut for 6 months, worst case is you bail when its time to fly home.

I rode to Fairbanks, Alaska (which might as well be a different country than anywhere in the lower 48) last March with nothing but a job offer for seasonal work, my WR250R, and all I owned strapped in a duffel bag on the bag. By far the best decision I've ever made in my life! I actually liked the job, but better yet the contacts I made there got me a pretty good full-time gig up here when I decided that I liked the place and wanted to stay. Finding a pretty girl when I got up here was just icing on the cake. She likes Re and Colin's Underboning ride report too...

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If all you come back with are memories, a few scars, and short a few dollars, are you really that much worse off?

Thanks for the perspective but I suspect most people figured out part of that already. No matter where you go there will always be some element that you shouldn't hang around.. for obvious reasons.

Now can we please get back to talking about Ex-Pats living on the cheap? It's interesting to hear about alternate lifestyles outside of the rat-race.

Somewhere that does not seem to get a mention on this thread is India and SE Asia, I have been able to spend two of the last four winters in these places and India in particular is still quite affordable, prices are rising but you can still live on £10/$16 a day. A room in a guesthouse or hotel can be had for £5/$8 per night and deals can be negotiated for longer periods, if you eat where the locals do there is no need to cook but a taste for spicy food does help.
English is widely spoken and there is plenty of interesting company from both locals and other foreigners who will mostly be Brits, Germans and other Europeans. Public transport is cheap and goes everywhere but driving/riding is a bit of an adventure not for the faint hearted, local motorcycles are small and inexpensive, you won't need that 1000cc superbike with 50 mph rarely being reached.
It is also becoming popular for health tourism with modern medical and dental clinics often having UK trained doctors and dentist at a fraction of the cost of the US, some people seem to combine getting away from the winter with getting something sorted out that is not covered by their health service at home.
There are few if any money making possibilities but if you have a small income or want to make a lump sum go further it is somewhere worth considering.

"I don't see that your "thoughts" add any value to the thread, at all, in any way other than to make sure you contrast yourself with people of less fortitude, competency and ability but with more capability to look for something outside the 'merican dream you purport to live. You have found a niche and we applaud you, but the rest of us haven't or don't see the possibility and seek greener(to us) pastures and are looking for similar advice/scenarios/possibilities.



Congratulations, you have not done what or explored the places that most of the posters have in this thread - the inspirational ones. I dunno what you did before you had kids but based on the chronology you illustrate, not much that might inspire most subscribers to this thread.

Lastly, aren't you enabling your kids with your "investment" in them just like the government would have with student loans or grants? Please, differentiate in the differences of enablement factor! "

well, to begin with my post was largely in response to those who believe that the cost of education and the job market are at the heart of their woes. They aren't!

As to why I'm just replying now? Well, since two days after I made that post? I've been out of the country. If you go back and read my post you'll see my thoughts on the whole expat thing. I know plenty all around the world.

So lets talk about "What I've done and explored". Hmmm.....Been to Africa, Eastern Europe, South America and the Middle East. Lived in Five States and spent countless months at a time in different parts of the country. Lived abroad in four different countries. Been a student, been an employee, been an employer, started two businesses from scratch. Watched one crash and burn, watched one flourish. Changed careers and tried something different. Fathered four children, raised three and laid one to rest....and picked up the pieces and carried on. Had so much money I couldn't think of ways to spend it and been so broke I didn't have heat or electricity............more than once in the same year!

As for the rare and mysterious skill? I barely graduated high school. I fumbled around and work most of my young adult life as a carpenter. One day decided to try something new, and I was good at it. But that alone wasn't enough. I was willing to take a big risk and commit to a school/training program about 6 months long with a 80% failure/drop out rate. I refused to fail or drop out.......and there was a pay off at the end. It wasn't easy. it was what I had to do.

Because of that I'm less than sympathetic to all the crying about how hard it is to live here. If my simple ass can do it? Anyone can! it might not be easy, but they can.

Now on to the whole EXPAT thing. In the 70's my parents moved the family to Florida. Ever notice how many people move to Florida and move back? Same thing. It all sounds SO good. warm days, palm trees, beaches, cheap cost of living. Everyone is going to be Jimmy Buffett. then reality sets in. The jobs suck, they don't pay much and the quality of life generally sucks ass for anyone living on the cheap.

Most of these so called expat paradises are no different. It all looks SO good on the face of it. Not so much in reality.

I'll be where I am for the next several months. I deal with EXPATS every single day I'm here. 90% of them are miserable and bitter. They couldn't make it back home so they came here to work jobs that sounded awesome and live in a place they were told would be so cool. Now most of them hate their jobs, can't go home because they can't afford to and wish they had tried harder to make it work at home before giving up!

If you're looking for an adventure? Then maybe a place like Mexico or Belize is for you. if you're looking to run away to greener pastures and an easier life? Well the world is full of very disappointed people who thought the same thing.

As for the paying for college? The bill payer for my kid's college was a person. A guy who held him accountable for his actions and performance. Not some faceless government agency that "Had" to give him money for school.

+1! Lovely response to a masterful reply, dahlink'.

Ironically, Buffett does a song about the ex-pat that runs out of money and gets stuck and is miserable. It's called Cowboy in the Jungle.

With that said people have to follow their dreams, and if your dream is to live overseas (or in Florida - I spent 15 years in Jacksonville and that's about as long as I have ever lived anywhere) and you've studied what you are getting into then, in my opinion, it's better to have tried it than to go through the rest of your life wondering what might have been.

~~~

Cowboy In The Jungle
By: Jimmy Buffett
1978
There's a cowboy in the jungle
And he looks so out of place
With his shrimpskin boots and his cheap cheroots
And his skin as white as paste

Headin' south to Paraguay
Where the Gauchos sing and shout
Now he's stuck in Porto Bello
Since his money all ran out
So he hangs out with the sailors
Night and day they're raisin' hell
And his original destination's just another
Story that he loves to tell

With no plans for the future
He still seems in control
From a bronco ride to a ten foot tide
He just had to learn to roll

Chorus:
Roll with the punches
Play all of his hunches
Make the best of whatever came his way
What he lacked in ambition
He made up with intuition
Plowing straight ahead come what may

Steel band in the distance
And their music floats across the bay
While American women in moomoos
Talk about all the things they did today
And their husbands quack about fishing
As they slug those rum drinks down
Discussing who caught what and who sat on his butt
But it's the only show in town.

Chorus:
They're tryin' to drink all the punches
They all may lose their lunches
Tryin' to cram lost years into five or six days
Seems that blind ambition erased their intuition
Plowin' straight ahead come what may.

I don't want to live on that kind of island
No I don't want to swim in a roped off sea
Too much for me, too much for me
I've got to be where the wind and the water are free.

Alone on a midnight passage
I can count the falling stars
While the Southern Cross and the satellites
They remind me of where we are
Spinning around in circles
Living it day to day
And still twenty four hours may be sixty good years
It's still not that long a stay.

Chorus:
We've gotta roll with the punches
Learn to play all of our hunches
Makin' the best of whatever comes your way
Forget that blind ambition
And learn to trust your intuition
Plowin' straight ahead come what may
And there's a cowboy in the jungle

Question?
What would the hot set up be for retired dirt bike rider. Already have the rv? What should I tow.... ? Enclosed trailer with bikes or 4x4 truck or suv with bikes on racks ?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2

both. trailer i would think if you had only a half lift towards the front then you could have a taller jeep on the back. not sure how high you like your 4x4's. maybe a mini under the bikes for the wife/gf

bump

I taught English at a university in a small Mexican beach-town for three years. I made about $1000/month and spent about $650-$700/month on my living expenses. For that money I rented a modest apartment with basic furnishings, ate well, and had money for things like beers after work, meals out, movies at the local cinema, and a 200cc motorcycle.

Tell me moar.How long ago?I know the Peso has a higher value than it did 15 years ago when I was seriously looking into moving down there.It's becoming moar an option again since I will be on a fixed income for awhile.

Sounds nice in theory.

Practice however may be different. There is limited work in Aust for horse trainers. Maybe stock hand / trainers in the bush.

The costs of living in Aust are crippling.

Just for example.
Milk (Cheap) is $3.00 per 3 Ltrs
Fuel is $1.60 - $1.70 per litre
Bread is anywhere from $2.00 to $4.00 per loaf
Four bedroom house to rent on east side in semi rural area is $350 Plus per week.
City areas are over $500.
My water bill is $350 per quarter. Power bill is $400-500 per quarter.
Register 6 cylinder care is over $800
Register a bike is over $500
Internet is on average $40-70 pm.
House insurance is over 1K per year.
Insurance for car is over $500 little bit less for bike.

There is a multitude of free camping spots across Aust if you were to just float around. Immigration laws here seem to be pretty lax compared to other countries.

My 2 Cents worth. Happy to field any other questions for anyone considering coming down under.

Sounds a lot like the cost of living here in the US, which isn't surprising since we're talking about two highly developed stable western countries.

I too would like to hear more.

Do you have an English degree....or were you able to secure the job simply based on your knowledge and use of the language? (did/do you speak Spanish fluently as well??)...I'm thinking that would be a big plus!

also, could one do this on a seasonal basis???

Thanx!

I'm jealous of (or, admire) people that can live on such little cash. It really opens up your opportunities.

It's not all that terribly hard to do....but ya gotta sacrifice a few creature comforts ta do it.
(like saying goo-by to that 52" plasma screen, and no more Starbucks latte's!)

Errr... past mistakes/decisions that can't be undone- child support, alimony, supporting current SO (well, that's not a mistake, just how it is), plus I've got crazy medical bills every month (type 1 diabetic). My baseline is pretty high, but you would never know it by looking at me (and my sub-500 sq ft apt).

Resurrecting an old thread I guess. With the way things are going in the US and the West in general, I'm sure a lot more are interested in this topic. After my second divorce in 2012, while out in the oilfield on night shift I was online and discovered the Phillipines thru dating sites. Went there 4 X, got married on the 3rd trip + bought a yet to be built townhome. Covid prevented my 5th trip so I just worked more (a trucker by then, living cheap on the truck). I took my SS at 62 beginning in '21. I then had a workplace injury in June, so I got off the truck, returned to TX to be near family & friends and got the home and contents in the PI paid off. I'm within less than a month of returning on a one way ticket.. My SS is plenty for the PI and I have cash + investments (hope to leave alone so I can leave it to family)
Bottom line: after 2012 when I knew where I wanted to go, I got intentional, lived frugally but still indulged in tech and am now healthy at 63 & able to follow through with the plan. Living overseas in no problem for me, I lived in South Africa as a kid and have lived all over the US in the ensuing 40+ years. You have to be intentional, realistic & do your due diligence and then go for it. I'm much happier now with a lot less than when I was in tech for 25 years. Good luck!